I'm a convert

[GotGarlic]

Last weekend, I was talking to one of our master gardeners, who also keeps hens for eggs. She had a demonstration table with a couple hens and a few dozen eggs. I asked her how much she was selling them for, and she gave me a dozen! I can't remember the last time I had eggs this fresh - my mom said she used to get them from the farmers market when I was little.

DH made me fried eggs for Sunday brunch and OH MY they were beautiful and delicious. They definitely have a much richer flavor and brighter color than grocery-store eggs. Maybe I can trade her some mustard for eggs

 

[Andy M.]

That's great. Did she tell you how much she charges?

 

[LizStreithorst]

I know. The yoke is deep orange rather than yellow and it stands up proud.

 

[Steve Kroll]

I miss farm fresh eggs. We had a feed store over where I used to live that sold eggs brought in by a local farmer. Far and away the best eggs I've ever had.

For the last couple of months I've been buying eggs at the "big box" place over by my work. They just aren't the same.

 

[Cheryl J]

Oh, absolutely - nothing beats fresh eggs! The farmers market here sells them, but they are spendy - around $7/dozen. I buy them when they're available from a lady who works at the hair salon I go to, for $4/dozen. Sometimes my mechanic's wife brings some into their shop and sells them for about the same price. I save up my egg cartons for them and usually get a better deal.

 

[GotGarlic]

She didn't say how much, but I will find out. I'd love to figure out something to trade - maybe a loaf of homemade bread.

 

[Dawgluver]

DH recently had breakfast with a friend at a local grocery store, and said there was an Amish man selling fresh eggs. Sadly, he didn't buy any.

 

[LizStreithorst]

The best eggs come from places where they are allowed to roam over a large pasture so they can eat what they desire. Of course they are also given good quality commercial feed. I'd like some laying hens, but I'd have to do a good bit of fencing because I don't trust some of my dogs.

This is what I want. They're pretty, aren't they?https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/light_brahmas.html

 

[roadfix]

We visited my sister-in-law on Mothers' Day and she was showing off her 3 hens and the nice little cage that her husband build.
They produce 3 brown eggs at least daily and my wife was impressed. She also liked how cute these hens were, roaming freely in the back yard. Now she wants them....the hens.

 

[Dawgluver]

I would love to have some chickens, they really do make nice pets. Unfortunately, we have too many wild and semi-wild critters around who also like chickens, but not for pets...

 

[LizStreithorst]

Electric fencing works well. You might want to look at this site. https://www.premier1supplies.com/poultry/fencing.php

 

[Cheryl J]

DH recently had breakfast with a friend at a local grocery store, and said there was an Amish man selling fresh eggs. Sadly, he didn't buy any.

Oh noooo! That is indeed sad.

 

[GotGarlic]

I don't know how big her property is, but she's the leader of a local group that lobbied the city council to change the ordinance prohibiting keeping hens in the city a few years ago. I do know they run around outside and eat whatever hens like to eat I'm sure she supplements when necessary.

 

[CharlieD]

Nothing like fresh eggs. Or fresh meat, or anything fresh for that matter. I have a friend who keeps few chickens, whenever I go to him he gives me a dozen or so. They are amazing.

 

[LizStreithorst]

I don't know how big her property is, but she's the leader of a local group that lobbied the city council to change the ordinance prohibiting keeping hens in the city a few years ago. I do know they run around outside and eat whatever hens like to eat I'm sure she supplements when necessary.

If they have any access to grass and weeds they will be healthy and make good eggs.

Did you know that when it comes to governmental regulations chickens are not considered animals. We don't have commercial laying hens in my neck of the woods. We are cow/calf, and chicken houses for fryers and broilers. How they raise the chickens would break your heart. The same is true of most hens raised as layers.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I would love to have some chickens, they really do make nice pets. Unfortunately, we have too many wild and semi-wild critters around who also like chickens, but not for pets...

I wouldn't give up on that thought, one of our local communities is reviewing a proposal to allow residents to keep 6 chickens, no roosters, in an attempt to combat the tick problem. It appears that chickens enjoy foraging for ticks!

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Guinea Fowl are notorious tick-pickers. The dairy farm that Himself did his astronomy gig at last summer has a very large flock. He said they are a riot to watch but boy, are they noisy! They chatter and chirp all the time! Too funny.

I would love to have some chickens, they really do make nice pets. Unfortunately, we have too many wild and semi-wild critters around who also like chickens, but not for pets...

Our daughter and her guy friend share custody of a cat. She has "Moo" predominantly during the winter, and her friend has Moo during the nice weather since Moo gets the run of the "Man Garage" on the property. This spring, they bought six chicks as pets for Moo. That cat is like a guard cat for them. He actually plays nice with them. One of these days, though, his cat gene might kick in. Hope he's on the outside of the coop when that happens.

 

[Dawgluver]

I'd love me some tick picking chicks! Unfortunately, we have 5 or so wooded acres, and "free range" would translate to "buffet" for the wild critters.

 

[Addie]

I do miss our Chicken Chronicles. As a child we had RI Reds. Brown shells are thicker shells than white ones. We used to keep a light on in the fall as the days got shorter. Then around January we shut it off. Only because is natural for their egg production to stop in the winter months.

In the summer months we had enough eggs to sell and still have enough for us. Then around the end of September, we stopped selling them. If we had a large snow fall we used to have to shovel out their fenced in yard. They need to feel and scratch the earth. By then we only fed them inside the hen house.

Having a flock of hens for production is a lot of work. Like CWS, come spring time, my mother would let them into her kitchen garden plot. They would scratch up and turn over all the soil for her.

For any of our new members who would like some delightful reading do a search of "Chicken Chronicles". Just use the little box at the top of this page that says "Advanced Search".

 

[medtran49]

My friend that used to live locally had an "urban farm." She had vege beds all over her front and back yards, and kept some hens, maybe 6, no more. She loved those things like pets. She had a coop for them in her backyard. Something tried REAL hard to get in 1 night, something with big strong claws, not a cat. They had to get a better coop with a stronger bottom. The eggs they gave her were great. Beautiful golden yellow to orange yolks. Sadly, her doxies got to a couple of them. She ended up buying an actual farm up north a bit.

We can get fresh eggs at a place that sells eggs, raw milk, and organic local produce when available. It's just a pain to get over there, but we do love their eggs. They also sometimes have duck eggs, quail eggs, and occasionally some bigger eggs, not ostrich, but I don't remember what they were.